The present invention relates to nanomaterials, and more specifically, to nanomaterials as support structures.
Generally, nanomaterials are materials composed of nanoscale unit cells. The individual unit cells may have sizes, at least in one dimension, between 1 and 1,000 nanometers (nm), or between 1 and 100 nm.
Nanomaterials may be natural or synthetic. Natural nanomaterials occur in nature. Biological systems can feature natural, functional nanomaterials, such as virus capsid walls and inorganic crystal growths. Examples of synthetic nanomaterials include, for example, graphene, carbon nanotubes, inorganic nanomaterials (e.g., quantum dots, nanowires and nanorods), and metal oxide nanowires. Other examples of nanoscale structures used in nanomaterials include porphyrins, cyclodextrins, and phtalocines.
Materials with structure at the nanoscale often have unique optical, electronic, or mechanical properties. Nano-structural chemistry is used to prepare materials with predetermined shapes and topography. Primary applications of self-assembling nanostructures are focused on, for example, nanowires, components of molecular scale electronics, and dye sensitive solar cells.